Cognitive learning and operant condition training efficacy to help a person exercise their focusing and working memory skills is well established and leads to long-term increase in attention and memory. This kind of skill learning is equally effective as pharmacotherapy. For example, a news report states, “One interesting treatment is a form of therapy in which children wear electrodes on their head and learn to control video games by exercising the parts of the brain related to attention and focus. Research has suggested that the method works just as well as medication, and many children report that they enjoy it.” New York Times, Jun. 20, 2008. Proven permanent benefits of such learning include greater focus, increased working memory and intelligence quotient (IQ), and reduced anxiety.
Unfortunately, many devices for placing electrodes on a subject's head suffer from one or more deficiencies. Deficiencies include, large and bulky head gear, messy liquids or gels or painful scalp abrasions or time consuming processes to place electrodes in good electrical conductance with the subject's scalp, constraining hardwired connections to recording and analyzing equipment, limited stimulus feedback to the subject, and on site presence of a treatment specialist, such as a technician or therapist.